Book Review of “Platform” — (10/52)
Michael Hyatt’s book serves as a guide for standing out in a noisy world
This is only my twenty-seventh blog post. Hence, I have quite a long way to go before a substantial readership is able to grow organically for this blog. And, it is readily evident that I can use all the help I can get in that department.
In that sense, Michael Hyatt’s book, Platform: Get noticed in a noisy world [affiliate link], stood out to me for its promise to help newcomers of the blogging world get a proper footing. Hyatt argues that while our written work may be outstanding, it still doesn’t guarantee a readership when we are starting out because we are actively competing to make ourselves heard “amidst the noise of thousands of other voices” each day.
Also, the manner in which readers consume information has dramatically changed in this day-and-age of social media. Contrary to popular belief, we aren’t reading less (we are actually reading more than ever), but we are particularly selective about what we choose to read. Therefore, there is no better time for newcomers to the blogging world — like myself — to understand how to actively keep readers coming and consuming their writing.
Much of Hyatt’s book is presented in lists. So, in that vein, I will outline five suggestions from his book that have resonated with me the most.
1. Create a compelling product.
This is the most important tip from the book. If the work you are producing is not of good quality, then readers will not consume your work. And, why should they when there are better alternatives all around them?
In a world where most readers filter out what they choose to read by just scanning the title of a written work, it is imperative for all writers to produce interesting and insightful pieces. There is simply no substitute for great writing.
2. Set a timeline for your goals.
I have personally found that when I create a deadline for writing a post, nine times out of ten, I actually succeed.
“A deadline also creates a sense of urgency that will motivate you to take action. Force yourself to assign a “by when” date to every goal.” — Platform, Page 38
3. Change things up on your blog every now and again.
Hyatt includes a chapter in the book that outlines his process for conducting video interviews with well-known people who happen to be writing about topics that Hyatt himself covers on his own blog. By interviewing these other individuals, Hyatt gains some knowledge about how others view the world. It also has the added bonus of keeping Hyatt’s content fresh for his readers. While writing posts should be a blogger’s main goal, having interesting content (such as video interviews) once in a while can help break up the flow of the content for the better.
4. How often you post matters.
Most bloggers will start out strong and post consistently; however, over time, for a myriad of reasons, their drive and energy to continue posting will wane. Eventually they will go weeks between posts. Hyatt argues that it is the frequency of your posting that marks whether or not a blogger will survive and eventually prosper in the blogging world. The ones who make it will post on a consistent basis (whether this is every month or every day).
In the blogging world, “frequency equals visibility” and increased visibility creates a budding readership (Hyatt, 135).
5. Embrace Social Media
Social media can take up as much time as you want it to or no time at all. You are absolutely able to determine how much time you choose to dedicate towards these outlets if you exercise some self-control. I am on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc. However, if I tracked how much time I spent on these services in a day, it’d be no more than thirty to forty-five minutes. And, much of this time on social media is spent when I am “on the go,” so it is very rare that I actually go out of my way to use social media.
Hyatt argues that creating a presence on social media and having an audience on those mediums can allow potential writers and bloggers the perfect source for rapidly spreading their ideas to massive amounts of people. In general, “the larger your follower count, the faster your ideas spread” (Hyatt, 169).
Of course, Hyatt’s book contains many more principles and guidelines for succeeding our noisy world. If you don’t want to necessarily buy this book of his, then you may find just as valuable information (for free) on his personal blog: http://michaelhyatt.com/.
Platform doesn’t offer a panacea for the quick and easy ascension to the top of the blogging world. But, it does offer insightful tidbits of wisdom gleaned from Hyatt’s own journey as a blogger with only a hundred or so followers to one with a monthly readership in the millions.
Blogging is the ultimate form of survival competition. Only the ones willing to persevere through the years of obscurity are rewarded at the end with a large following (and even THAT is not guaranteed).
Everyone else that didn’t make it just try their hand at finding yet another Platform in this noisy world.
Sources
Hyatt, Michael S. Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2012. Print.
Notes
This is the TENTH post (out of 52 in total eventually) that is a part of my 2015 Book Reading Challenge.
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